Spacer and protector for yarnholding devices



Marh 16, 1948. H. c. WOLFENDEN 2,437,987

SPACER AND PROTECTOR FOR YARN HOLDING DEVI CES Filed April 24, 1945 2Sheets-Sheet l March 16, 1948. H. c. WOLFENDEN 2,437,987

SPACER AND PROTECTOR FOR YARN HOLDING DEVICES Filed April 24, 1945 '2Sheets-Sheet 2 N No WM Patented Mar. 16, 1948 SPACER AND PROTECTOR FOEYARN- HOLDING DEVKCES Harry G. Woltcnden, Attleboro, Mass.

Application April 24, 1945, Serial No. 590,070

1 Elaim.

My present invention is directed to improve and perfect dyeing apparatuswherein a plurality of packages, spools, cheeses, or the like, of yarnor other material are contained in a tank; and more particularly theinvention is directed to the holding. and spacing devices for such,articles to. be dyed.

Heretoiore it. has. been customary to assemble a plurality of packagesona spindle to be treated in a tank wherein dyeing liquid is circulated,but. the means for holding the packages, as well as for spacing adjacentpackages from each other, has caused a great deal of difficulty,interfering with theirea circulation or the dyeing l q id; and thus,presenting. a free. new and complete dye-- ingaction of the material incontact with the holding and spacing devices. Such prior spacing devicesare shown, for example, inmy prior and copending application ser. No.533,847, filed May 3, I944 (now abandoned).

In my present. invention of an improved holding and spacing element forsuch dyeing apparatus, I have: devised an extremely simple and efficientholding and spacing element which will eliminate the diiiicultiesheretofore experi'enced in this work and insure the full and completeflow of dyeing liquid thru the entire end portions and area of eachpackage because the holders and spacers are constructed and arranged soas to avoid any interruption in the flow oi dyeing liquid around theends of the packages, spools, and the like; and, on the con trary, willfacilitate the flow of dyeing liquid directly into and thru the entirearea and. portions of each end of the articles being treated.

As heretofore shown, I prefer to embody the improved holding and spacingdevices in a unitdyeing apparatus of the general type of my prior andcopending application Ser. No. 513,239, filed December '7, 1943, whereina circular tank of. con.- siderable area is adapted to receive a,removableholder comprising a manifold and a plurality of rods, whichrods extend thru and hold a plurality of hollow tubes, spools, or thelike, each tube or spool carrying the material to, be dyed. Suchmaterial tobe dyed; is in the form of packages, and. these are held andpositioned; on each tube by my improved spacer and holder, which spacergives a free-flowing action around, into, and thru the end portions ofeach, package, as distill guished from the perforate-11's, separators,and supporting elements of my said prior application Ser. No. 533,847(now abandoned).

In. such dyeing apparatus, it is important, and necessary to have the.tankandthe spool, tube,

H or article-holding elements of a material which will not be eitherdiscolored by the liquid nor discolor the articles being held thereinand dyed. I prefer, therefore, to utilize either special acidresistantsynthetic plastics or stainless steel, either of which materials I findwill stand up as linings for the tank and holding elements for thematerial being treated.

My improved separator is formed as a light wire cage, having a diametersufiicient to protect and hold the outer edges of the packages carriedhereby, and a plurality of similar light radial members united to a hub.

Such a light wire cage may be either a separating element betweenadjacent series of spools,

spindles, or the like, and on the same dye-supporting spindle, or mayconstitute the top and bottom holding portion of either one or aplurality of such packages on a holding spindle.

Referring to. the drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment of myinvention shown in assembly with the unit dyeing apparatus such asillustrated in my said prior application Ser. No. 513,239:

Fig. l is a vertical plan view partly in crosssection of a circulardyeing tank in a unit dyeing apparatus.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional lengthwise View of a spindleextending thru hollow perforated tubes on which yarn or the likematerial is wound, with my novel form of holding and spacing element;

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view on the line 3-3 ofFig. 2, and I a is across-sectional view on the line 4-- l of pig. 2; and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary side view illustrating the braces and holdingconstruction for the re movable top.

Referring to the drawings, a circular tank 1 is prorided with or Withouta removable top 2, said tank having an encircling flange 3 to be engagedby a set of vertical supports 4- 3, the bottom of the tank havingaseries of central openings 51 -41. admitting a flow of liquid withinthe tank thru said openings it into a centrally positioned sump. it.

A series. of radial braces l support the floor 5 and extend inwardlybeyond the openings 5 to carry a flanged collar 52, having a dependingportion i=1, to which a circular sleeve i5 is welded or otherwisesecured, and an upstanding flange it formed with its interior surfacebevelled, as shown at ii, to fit the correspondingly outer bevelledsurface of a. hollow hub 20, to which hub.

3 is secured a hollow circular manifold 2| and adapted to be lifted outof the tank I by a lifting bail 22 separating the bevelled surface onthe hub 20 and flange It by this mere lifting action and, similarly,connecting them by the lowering of the apparatus into the tank I.

Adapted to rotate in the sleeve is a propeller pump 25 rotatablyactuated by a reversible motor (not shown) and normally forcing dyeingliquid contained within the sump l0 upwardly in the direction of thearrow, Fig. 1, thru the interior of the manifold 2| and, hence,therefrom thru a plurality of openings arranged around the manifold andadapted to receive the threaded ends of hubs, on which hollow tubescarrying the packages to be dyed are fitted and held.

As best shown in Fig. 2, each of these hollow and perforated tubes 38 isadapted to fit into a circular groove 3| in the upper part of a hub 33,said hub having its lower portion threaded as indicated at 34 to fitwithin the correspondingly threaded openings 35 formed in the top of themanifold 2|, as shown in Fig. 1.

In the present construction, I have illustrated the manifold 2| adjacentthe bottom of the tank I but this manifold may be otherwise positioned,as for example, in the intermediate vertical height of the tank I withhollow tubes attached above and below the same, as shown in my saidprior application 513,239,

Dyeing liquid supplied in the tank or sump I0 is forced by the propellerpump 25 upwardly thru the sleeve |5, hub 20, manifold 2|, and eachhollow tube 30 flowing outwardly thru the series of perforations 36 ineach tube into and thru the encircling cheeses 4B or thru the spools andpackages assembled therein.

In order to hold and space these packages 43 appropriately and insure afull free-flowing of the dyeing liquid around the ends, preventingunder-dyeing at the end portions, I have devised my novel supporting,spacing, and protecting cage construction which can be utilized eitherfor the lowermost and, hence, supporting member 33 or for anintermediate spacing and supporting element, as indicated at 4|, or fora top-holding element as shown at 42.

In either case, the protecting and spacing element comprises a circularwire 44 of substantially equal diameter to that of the package 40 beingheld or applied on the tube, with a series of similar supporting radialwire-like member 45, four being herein illustrated, which extend fromthe hubs 33, 4|, or 42 to each encircling wire 44 and are welded to thelatter. The hubs may be tapered on the outside to give a wedging effect,as indicated at 47, for firmer interlocking with the adjacent end of thehollow tubes.

The radial members 45 can be and, preferably, are fitted in recesses 46,bored or otherwise formed in each of the hub members to which these wirecage elements are attached.

As shown in Fig. 3, the intermediate spacing hub 4| is formed with acircular flange or shoulder as indicated at 48 and 49 to receive the endportions of the adjacent hollow tubes 30 when the tubes are beingassembled with the cheeses 40 thereon. The wire cage-supporting andspacing members 44 and 45 extend outwardly from the hub 4| sufficientlyto be substantially equal in diameter to that of the adjacent packages40 and to space the top of one from the bottom of the next superimposedcheese, and thus hold them apart to permit the liquid dye flowing thruthe perforations 36 in each of the hollow tubes 30 thru the package 40at the top and bottom, as well as laterally, thus producing a full,even, and uniform dyeing action. The thin wire cage-like members 44 and45 are preferably round and relatively so thin as to afford nointerruption nor prevention of the full free-flowing of liquid dye thruthe packages at the ends. The hub 4| is sufliciently thin andstreamlined to permit full capacity of liquid flow therethru,

Fig. 4 illustrates in plan view the hub 33 and its radial member 45 eachfitted in recesses 46 and extending to and supporting, by welding orotherwise, the outer circular rim 44.

In order to hold the assembled hollow tubes 30 in position, I provide aclamping rod 50 secured to a plurality of three or more webs 5| in thebottom portion of the hub 33, preferably extending substantiallythroughout the length of the threaded member 34, thus supportin thecentral rod 50 on which the series or plurality of hollow tubes 3|] andthe packages carried thereby are assembled.

The top spacer and holder 42 is fitted with a wing nut 55 and isthreaded onto the rod or spindle 59; thus, tightening of the wing nutwill hold the assembled packages in position. The spindles are thenthreaded into the corresponding openings 35 around the manifold 2| andthen the entire apparatus is lowered into the tank I after which thecover v.2 may be applied and dyeing liquid circulated thru the tubes andoutwardly thru the cheeses, and this operation reversed as above noted,as often as may be desired.

In order to supply dyeing liquid into the tank I and sump E1, or tosupply an additional charge of liquid therein, I may utilize a mixingtank 60 to, which is attached a conduit 6| extending to and thru athree-way valve 78 and by a lateral conduit 53 directly into the sleevel5 and, hence, directly into the propeller pump 25, thus insuringadmixture and turbulence of the new charge of liquid as it is forcedthru the manifold and the articles within the tank I.

I find it desirable to provide this apparatus with means to pump asupply of liquid from the sump I0 up into the mixing tank 60 and,thereupon, to complete the mixing charge, which will include the new dyeand a part of the charge thus supplied from the sump. For this purpose,I provide a pump designated diagrammatically at 'i'! in the conduit linefrom the sump to the tank 60, which will be operated reversibly as by areversible motor (not shown); and for this purpose, also, I provide ashut-off valve 76 between the pump 11 and the sump l0. When the valve 16is open and the valve 65 also open, the pump 11 is actuated to pump asupply of dyeing liquid up from the sump into the tank 60 whereupon thepump 17 is stopped, the charge in the tank 60 completed, and the pump 11reversed to force the charge in the tank 60 directly into the propeller25, as above explained.

Thereupon the valve 76 is closed. I also find it desirable to arrange toprovide a drain or outlet from the tank 60 and conduit BI, and for thispurpose I provide a three-way valve 18 in the conduit line substantiallyas shown in the right, Fig. 1, with the outlet 79. Thus, the valve 78would normally permit the free-flowing of the liquid in either directionthru the conduit 6| while closing the outlet 79; while the valve 78 maybe closed to shut off the conduit to the pump 1! and thus open the linefrom the conduit 6| and thru the outlet 79.

I prefer to form the top 2 with a central, downwardly extending lug 80to interlock with the top of the central lifting bail 22 so as to steadythe entire apparatus within the tank I and hold it against displacementas well as to aid and assist in maintaining the bevelled faces l5 and I1tight.

For this purpose, any suitable interlocking arrangement can be effected,but as herein shown I provide spaced extensions 8| at each side of thebail with the cross-pin 82 between which spaced portions and above whichcross-pin the lug 80 rests, see Fig. 5.

I may also desire to strengthen the top 2, particularly for carrying thelug 80 in tight contact with the central bail to steady the apparatuswithin the tank. For this purpose I provide a crossbar 84 secured topivotal links 85 and 85 in diametrically opposite position, which linksare attached to flanges 81 on the side of the tank l. A coiled spring 98bears upon a forked portion 89 of a fixture 90 on one end of thecrossbar 89 and under tension of the thumb screw 9! threaded onto a rod92, having its other end attached at 93 to the link 85, so as to permita quick attachment and detachment of the crossbar 94 as well as theexerting of yielding tension adjusted by manipulating the thumb nut 91to hold the lug 80 in contact with the lifting bail 22.

In order to permit inspection of the tank I during the operation andwithout stopping the mechanism, I may provide the cover 2 in the form ofa pair of leaves, the same being indicated at 95, with a pivot 96 andpermitting such leaves to be lifted for inspection without disturbingthe crossbar 84 and its holding contact on the apparatus within thetank. This permits convenient inspection and the entire top can bereadily removed or applied when desired.

When these hinged covers 95 are desired, they may be pivotally securedparallel with the crossbar 84 and by flanged portions 91 attached to thecrossbar 84, in which case the lug 80 is secured directly to theunderneath part of the crossbar. Where the cover 2 is continuous withoutthe hinge-leaf construction, I then either attach the lug directly tothe bottom of the top or thru a plate 98 to the crossbar, or may usesaid plate 98 as a bearing member between the crossbar 84. and the lug80, thereby imparting the pressure of the spring 88 for holdingengagement on the bail 22.

With the manifold 2| and attached hub 20 outside the tank I, the severalhollow tubes 30 with their attached material to be dyed are assembled,the spacers fitted, and the top spacer and holder 42 applied to clampeach series together, which are then fitted in the correspondinglythreaded recesses in the manifold; whereupon the entire apparatus islowered into the tank I and automatically connected for circulation bycontact of the bevelled faces l9 and as above described and as shown inFig. 1. Thereupon the top 2 is applied and the crossbar 99 swung intoposition on its pivot connecting it with the link 85, and the forkedplate 89 fitted to straddle the rod 92, and thumb nut 9| to hold theplate under tension as above explained.

Dyeing liquid being supplied and steam thru th heating pipes 2'0, thepropeller 25 initiates and maintains a flow of dyeing liquid thru thehollow tubes and outwardly thru the packages, cheeses, or the like,assembled thereon within the tank I, flowing back into the sump II! forrecirculation. At any time the dyeing liquid within the tank can receivean additional charge from the mixing chamber 60, as above noted, and thedyeing liquid may be drained oil thru the outlet 15, the propeller 25reversed, and air drawn thru the packages, and outwardly thru the tubesand, thus, effect a partial moisture extraction; whereupon the operationcan be repeated, as will be readily understood.

Iclaim:

An openwork spacer and protector for yamholding tubes comprising ahollow hub, having an interior diameter corresponding to that of thetubes to be held and spaced, said hub having flanges to interlock withadjacent. tubes adapted to abut on the hub, said hub having radiallyextending rods attached at their outer perimeter to an encircling rod,said encircling rod being of a diameter to protect the yarn carried bysaid tubes and to permit free flowing of liquid or air thru the centerof the tube and into the end portions of the yarn adjacent said radialrods.

HARRY C. WOLFENDEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,871,246 Thus Aug. 9, 19321,928,252 Gollong Sept. 26, 1933 1,933,980 Hornbuckle Nov. '7, 19332,194,877 Stieger Mar. 26, 1940 2,196,559 Jackson Apr. 9, 1940 2,226,394Steinen Dec. 24, 1940

